Fabric folding machine



May 2, 1950 R. H. TOUBHANS 2,506,182

FABRIC FOLDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 3, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet l *I INVENTOR.L RENE ff. Thus/+4 NS y 1950 R. H. TOUBHANS 2,506,182

FABRIC FOLDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 3, 1947 '3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.RENE f2. TousHA/vs ATTORNEY.

y 1950 R. H. TOUBHANS I 2,506,182

FABRIC FOLDING MACHINE.

Filed Feb. 5, 1947 3 Shee tS-Sheet 3 k I M i 7 Q INVENTOR.

RENE H TOUBHANS A T'TOENE).

Patented May 2, 1950 I :UNIT ED -S 'lA'i ES 1 FABRIC --FOLDING -:MAGHINE"Rcnfikiioiibhans, SanlreandrojCallif.

Application February 3, 19,42, SerialfiNo. 7%;991

Claims. (013153- 28) ----2 -Thisinvention relatesto a machine-for form--crank'to theendof :theshaft I and rotating it, iing ia-i'old or chemonhone or both edges of.a the side extensions "4 andBofthe tables-maybe.cstrip-pr a.piece.0f.-fabric, and particularlyon moved -.inward1y or.outwardly with relation to -wire-fabric such .as-used for windowscreening thecentral tableisurface 3,.thereby varying the and the like..widthof .the -table....as. a whole to .take care of -The objectoftherpresent invention is .gener .fabrioof different widths. wally toimprove and simplify the construction Suitably supported by the frame Ais a motor vrand operation of .machinesof the character. de- =8whichthrough a belt. 9 drives areduotion gear ascribed; =.to provides.machine which wiilgradu- .drive lii of standard construction. A tubularva ally ioend ami fold-one or both side edges of a 10 .rive shaftextendingtransversely ofthe reduc- .-strip or. pieceof fabric as thefabric in fiat form .tiongearjdrive case .carries. a pair of shafts M.,,;passes through the .machine; to provide a mawhichtelescope withrelationthereto and which ',-chine -which-wil1 formasingle or multiple'fold are also .splinedthereto. I'Ihese shafts, thatliis eon-one orbothedges .of the fabric; .toprovide theshaftslit formYdrive shaftswherebythe fa'b- :-.a machineein which the lcending and folding acricvfolding machines .are 'clriven.

tion-is continuous andcapable of high speed; 'There .areztwoafabricifolding machines .13 and to provide ainacn'ine through whichthe fabric ..C supported none on..each side...of;the.tab1e, but .torbe.folded is. continuously andpcsitively fed; to aseachmachineisfiidentical'in construction and ..provide a.machinewhichinsures a fold of unioperation,'the..description.of onewill siiffice. formorconstant widthyand further to provideReferring.no-w.,to..Figs..2.;to 9 inclusiveli'iiindi- -a machine whichisadjustable to .receiveifabric rates- .bar .whichi is...secured .to'the table ex- ..of difierentiwidths. "tens-ions by .meansof apairo'filegsil. LSpaced Themachine is shown by waymof .illustration ifrom:thebar 116 Vanddisposedabove the same is in the accompanying drawingsin which: .a second bar Iffia which .issecured to bar it" by Fig.l-isaperspectiveviewof themaohine; .25 spacerlh'oits 16b. at each end.(see 'Fig. 4) The Fig. .21is aplan-viewoftherighthand unitnf.barslldandAlfiusuppotted by theilegs fl constithemachine asseeninFigure 1; tute airamewhich-jiorms asupport'fori'five pairs Fig. 3is an elevation of the outside of theunit Moi.horizontallyLdisposed.shafts indicatedcat it shown .in.Fig..2; ,and i'8a,fl'9.. and "1941,13and 201;,"2 l. and-2 l a, and Fig.4 is an elevation of the inside of theunit 052?. and-12a. ''.'I.hese. .shafts are best shown in vshowninFig.2; Figs.l.5'td 9;.in'clusive. ffShaft' l8 carries agrooved Fig. 5 isan enlarged cross-section taken on ,roller"23 and shaft I Ba alsocarries a grooved line V- V of'Fig. 2; roller suchrasiindicated at'iZ4.shartm carries a Figj'fi is an enlarged cross-section taken. onilgroovedrollenfi, andfshaft l'9a carries a grooved 1 'VI im-1 2; roller26, 'ItheIinner end of which .isprovided "Figf'? is an enlarged0I'0SS=-SBCti0nitakei1 on -withan annular projecting T'flangeflfia.Shaft line VII-LVII of"Fig.2; .29ica rriesaa,groovedroller I21, and inaddition Fig, 8 is an enlarged cross-section taken on itheieto .a b8lle1d: gear28 which meshes with-a "1ine'V1II VIII of Fig. 2; beveled gear29. .journaled abouta Verticallydis- Fig. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectiontaken on hposedshaftsecuredlhetween theiframebars "i6 line IX-IX of Fig.2; vand 6a. vThe gear 293isprovidedwith an annu- ,TFi o-1sanen1 r edcrosssection'iofa,table "lar.projectingliiange-3ii..andithis.overliesone end top showing the rack bars in 'g'eariwhere'by the of agroovedroller 3| secured on s aft 28a. "Shaft widthrof' the'table isadjusted; and .2? carries a. groovdrollerifi .andshaftilacar- '1 FigfJIlisaside elevation showinga'modified ries a grooved roll r 33 Wh providedw h T'form offabric gripping mechanism. an annuIar'fiange-M. nshaft .22carries a roller ZRe'ferring .tothefldrawings in detail, and'par- 35having an-annularfflangefifi at one endand ticularly'EigureslLfi, 3aridj, A indicates an angle 1 a beveled gear-t'latthe opposite end. Thisgear ,...iron frame supported,byilegs'z. 'IForming atop .rnesheswitha;beveled:gear.138 journaledaboutia ifor .thel'frame..-isaI-tab1esurface73 havingfside vertical shaftsecured between the framebars .extensionsl laand.5-which arelaterally adjustable. l5 and [6a andthe last-named beveled is LTheextensions 5 and}v aresupported by ltheprovided with an vannularflange 38a which parst bl surface-.3.they.,,0ver1a,p .the same,...and .tiallyoverliesa grooved roller39secured on the -also-byarms aaand 5a, of which thereernaycbe-.shaft22a.

a suitable. number depending .upon .therlengthsof Thegroovedan'difianged rollers are. all secured the table (see Fig. 10).Each arm ais provided on.one.end.of theshafts, whilethe opposite ends-.--with.=a etooth aand rack-bar and these barsenoof these-shaftsthatlis shafts 158, i8a,'l9,l9a., 126, I agagea agear ;pinion 5 securedon a shaft 1 which Illa, J 2 I .2 la, 22 .and 220., .have securedthereto L i-is;journaied underthe.table surface. andextends asprocketg-earssuchas shown.at 4B and M. -.All .iongitudinally i thereof. :Bysapplying a hand =o1 .thesprocket gearslintermesh witha common sprocketchain 42 and this is carried by a pair of sprocket gears 43 and 44disposed one at each end of the frame (see Fig. 4), the sprocket gear 43being a driving gear as it is secured on the driving shaft l4 while thesprocket gear at is an idler gear and is secured on an idler shaft [5.Also secured on the driving shaft i4 is a pulley 45 and journaled at theopposite end of the frame is a pulley 46. The pulleys 45 and 46 carry anendless belt made of flexible steel or like material, said belt beingindicated at 41 and said belt carrying closely spaced outwardlyprojecting pins 48, the function of which will hereinafter be described.The belt 4'! passes over the grooved rollers 24, 26, 3|, 33 and 39 andunder the grooved rollers 23, 25, 21, '32 and 35. The pins 48 projectinto the groove formed in these rollers while the belt itself rides inthe groove of the rollers upon Which it rests. This groove is rathershallow so that pressure may be applied by the upper rollers against thebelt 41 when the machine is in operation.

In actual operation let it be supposed that it is desired to form adouble fold at opposite sides of a piece or strip of fabric screen such,for instance, as wire screen used for screening windows. If that is thecase, the table extensions 4 and 5 are first adjusted to conform to thewidth of the fabric or screen material to be folded and when it isproperly adjusted, the screen is laid on the table and fed in thedirection of arrow D so that the forward end will enter between therollers carried by the respective folding units indicated at B and C.The screen thus moved forwardly will first enter between the rollers 23and 24 (see Fig. 5) where the pins 48 will pass through the wire screenand thereby positively grip and secure the screen and also feed itthrough the machine as belt 41 is driven by its driving pulley. Thescreen while passing between the rollers 23 and 24 is flat. When thescreen approaches the rollers 25 and 26 (see Fig. 6), it comes intoengagement with the annular flange 26a. This obviously bends the sideedge of the screen to assume the right angular position indicated at 50.As the screen is further advanced, it enters between the rollers 2'! and3!, and as the annular flange St on the beveled gear 29 partiallyoverlies the roller 3|, it will engage the right angular bent edge ofthe screen and fold it flat against the screen body as shown at El.Further advance of the screen brings it between rollers 32 and 33, andas the roller 33 is provided with an annular flange 34, it will againbend the edge of the screen upwardly to assume the right angularposition shown at 52, and when the screen finally enters between therollers 35 and 3%, it will engage the overlying flange 33a of thebeveled gear 38, thereby again folding the screen flat against itself asshown at 53. A single fold is formed at the point 5! (see Fig. 7) Whilea double fold is formed at the point 53 (see Fig.

9). If a single fold is desired, the rollers shown in Figs. 8 and 9 maybe eliminated, but if a double or multiple fold is desired, theserollers must be employed.

Inasmuch as there are two folding machine units B and C, and as theseunits are identical in construction and operation, it is obvious thateither a single or a multiple fold will be formed on opposite sides ofthe screen material as it passes through the machine. It should also beobvious that each fold whether single or multiple will be uniform inwidth throughout the length of the screen or fabric material as thefabric is held firmly in place by the pins 48 of the belt 41 whilepassing through the machine. Furthermore, as each folding unit is drivenat the same speed and all rollers are of the same diameter, it isobvious that each side of the fabric will be fed at the same rate and auniform result is insured. The bendin or folding operation of the screenmaterial or fabric is gradual, and continuous. That is, the firstbending operation shown at 50 in Fig. 6 is not completed until thescreen material reaches the center of the roller 26. That is, the screenmaterial will contact the flange 26a. prior to reaching center position,and as such the folding is gradual and is completed when the center ofthe roller 26 is reached. The bending operation at 5i is the same, andthis is also true of the bending or folding operations shown at 52 and53. Due to this gradual bending or folding operation, it is possible tofeed the screen or fabric material continuously and at comparativelyhigh speeds. In Figs. 1, 2 and 5 to 9 inclusive, a feeding belt 41having pins 48 is shown for the purpose of gripping and feeding thefabric material while passing through each folding unit. In Fig. 11 aslight modification is shown. In this instance steel belts similar tothe belts 47 are employed, but they are faced with rubber as indicatedat 55. This rubber is of a compressible nature and the wire screen maythus be tightly gripped and fed by the rubber faced belts 55, and whilethis and other features of the machine have been more or lessspecifically described and illustrated, it should be understood thatchanges may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims andthat the materials and finish of the several parts employed may be suchas the experience or judgment of the manufacturer may dictate or varyingconditions or uses may demand.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. In a machine of the character described, a support to receive afabric material to be folded, a continuously moving member extendinglongitudinally of the support, means on the member for interengaging thefabric material to move it with the member, a rotatable member at oneside of the support engaging a side edge of the fabric material andbending the edge to assume a position at right angles to the bottom ofthe fabric material, and a second rotatable member at the side of thesupport, said second rotatable member engaging the right angular bentedge and bending it flat against the fabric material to form a fold.

2. In a machine of the character described, a support to receive afabric material to be folded, a frame at one side of the support, aprimary and a secondary pair of rollers journaled in the frame with anupper and lower roller in each pair, an endless feed belt disposedbetween the rollers, means on the belt adapted to grip one side of thefabric material, a, vertical annular flange on the lowermost roller ofthe primary pair, said flange engaging the side edge of the fabricmaterial and bending it to assume a vertical position, and ahorizontally disposed annular flange cooperating with the secondary pairof rollers, said flange engaging the vertically bent edge of the fabricmaterial and bending it to lie flat against the fabric material.

3. In a machine of the character described, a support to receive afabric material to be folded, a frame at one side of the support, aprimary and a secondary pair of rollers journaled in the frame with anupper and lower roller in each pair, an endless feed belt disposedbetween the rollers, a horizontally disposed annular flange cooperatingwith the secondary pair of rollers, and means fOr driving the feed belt,the primary and secondary pairs of rollers, and the cooperating annularflange in unison.

4. In a machine of the character described, a support to receive afabric material to be folded, a frame at one side of the support, aprimary and a secondary pair of rollers journaled in the frame with anupper and lower roller in each pair, an endless feed belt disposedbetween the rollers, a plurality of pins on the upper face of the belt,said pins adapted to extend through interstices in the fabric materialto grip and positively feed the fabric to be folded between the rollers,a vertical annular flange on the lowermost roller of the primary pair,said flange engaging the side edge of the fabric and bending it toassume a vertical position, and a horizontally disposed annular flangecooperating with the secondary pair of rollers, said flange engaging thevertically bent edge of the fabric and bending it to lie flat againstthe fabric.

5. In a machine of the character described, a support to receive afabric material to be folded, a frame at one side of the support, aprimary and a secondary pair of rollers journaled in the frame with anupper and lower roller in each pair, an endless feed belt disposedbetween the rollers, a plurality of pins on the upper face of the belt,said pins adapted to extend through interstices in the fabric materialto grip and positively feed the fabric to be folded between the rollers,a vertical annular flange on the lowermost roller of the primary pair,said flange engaging the side edge of the fabric and bending it toassume a vertical position, a horizontally disposed annular flangecooperating with the secondary pair of rollers, said flange engaging thevertically bent edge of the fabric and bending it to lie flat againstthe fabric, and means for driving the feed belt, the primary andsecondary pair of rollers and the cooperating annular flanges in unison.

6. In a machine of the character described, a support to receive afabric material to be folded, a frame at each side of the support, aprimary and a secondary pair of rollers journaled in each frame with anupper and lower roller in each pair, a pair of endless feed beltsdisposed one between each set of rollers, said feed belts having meansfor engaging the side edges of the fabric to be folded, a verticalannular flange on the lowermost roller of the primary pair of rollers,said vertical flanges engaging the side edges of the fabric and bendingthe fabric to assume a vertical position, and a horizontally disposedannular flange cooperating with the secondary pair of rollers on eachside of the support, said horizontal flanges engaging the verticallybent edges of the fabric and bending said edges to lie flat against theedge of the fabric.

7. In a machine of the character described, a support to receive afabric material to be folded, a frame at each side of the support, meansfor laterally adjusting said frames to receive fabric material ofdifferent widths, a primary and a secondary pair of rollers journaled ineach frame with an upper and lower roller in each pair, a pair ofendless feed belts disposed one between each set of rollers, said feedbelts having means for engaging the side edges of the fabric to befolded, a vertical annular flange on the lowermost roller of the primarypair of rollers, said vertical flanges engaging the side edges of thefabric and bending the fabric to assume a vertical position, and ahorizontally disposed annular flange cooperating with the secondary pairof rollers on each side of the support, said horizontal flanges engagingthe vertically bent edges of the fabric and bending said edges to lieflat against the edge of the fabric.

8. In a machine of the character described, a support to receive afabric material to be folded, a frame at each side of the support, meansfor laterally adjusting said frames to receive fabric material ofdifferent widths, a primary and a secondary pair of rollers journaled ineach frame with an upper and lower roller in each pair, a pair ofendless feed belts disposed one between each set of rollers, said feedbelts having means for engaging the side edges of the fabric to befolded, a vertical annular flange on the lowermost roller of the primarypair of rollers, said vertical flanges engaging the side edges of thefabric and bending the fabric to assume a vertical position, ahorizontally disposed annular flange cooperating with the secondary pairof rollers on each side of the support, said horizontal flanges engagingthe vertically bent edges of the fabric and bending said edges to lieflat against the edge of the fabric, and means for driving the feedbelts, the primary and secondary pairs of rollers and the vertical andhorizontal flanges in unison.

9. In a machine of the character described, a support to receive afabric material to be folded, a pair of continuously moving members oneon each side of the support, means on said members for holding the sideedges of the fabric for movement longitudinally of the support, means oneach side of the support for engaging the side edges of the fabric tobend said edges to assume a position at right angles to the body of thefabric, and other means at each side of the support for engaging theright angular bent edges and for further bending said bent edges to lieflat against the fabric to form a fold at each side of the fabric. 10.In a machine of the character described, a support to receive a fabricmaterial to be folded, a pair of continuously moving members one on eachside of the support, means on said members for holding the side edges ofthe fabric for movement longitudinally of the support, means on eachside of the support for engaging the side edges of the fabric to bendsaid edges to assume a position at right angles to the body of thefabric, other means at each side of the support for engaging the rightangular bent edges and for further bending said bent edges to lie flatagainst the fabric to form a fold at each side of the fabric, and meansfor laterally adjusting the support to receive fabric material ofdifferent widths.

RENE H. TOUBHANS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 352,123 Getchell Nov. 9, 18861,060,740 Cash May 6, 1913 1,466,697 Brice et a1 Sept. 4, 1923 1,833,565Nelson Nov. 24, 1931

